Those of you who know me will know that I lost my dad, John in 2005. He was 67. His cancer began in the bowel, but despite the great attempts of various surgeons, they couldn't prevent it spreading to his liver and lungs.

It was to my horror that I realised a few days ago that I'm 34 lbs over my 'fighting weight' of 166 lbs. So, to help keep me motivated and raise money for a great cause in the process - I'm aiming to get down to 166 lbs by the time of my dad's anniversary on 21 August.

The '66' in '166' also links my challenge to the Bobby Moore Fund, which raises money for bowel cancer research. I have 80 days to do it - so it's roughly 3lbs every week.

I'll keep you posted regarding my progress.

Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.